; ' , 






FABLES and SYMBOLS 



Truth and Humor 



■FOR- 



OLD AND YOUNG 



BY 



CLEMENCE DE LA BAERE 



1 905 



Published by the Author 

CLEMENCE DE LA BAERE 

Sacramento, Cal. 



a. ; 
I I! I ? 3 



fed 



.ftn-F3 



Entered according to the Act of Congress in the office of the Librarian 
of Congress, at Washington, D. C, September, 1905. 
All rights reserved. 



IINDBX. 

THE FROG AND THE BIRD 7 

ENGLAND AND IRELAND 9 

ENVY 12 

A TYRANNICAL KING 13 

A GOOD FOWL 17 

ONE-OF-THEM 18 

A NURSE 19 

THE VEIL 20 

NEW GENERATION 22 

IDEAL TALK AND SILENT POWER 23 

AN UNLUCKY NUMBER 24 

THE PROBLEM OF LIFE 26 

GRIEVE NOT, BUT REJOICE 27 

ENDOWMENTS SPRING FROM WITHIN 29 

IT IS MINE 31 

A POINT OF ATTRACTION 32 

A MUDDY CREST 33 

A JACKASS 35 

REYNARD AGAIN 36 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 



PREFACE. 
I ask the indulgence of the public on the following 
fables, for I am aware that they are far from being perfect. 
I did the best I could. Born in France I could not speak 
English when I came to sunny California where I have 
since writen these, and it is with reluctance that I venture 
their publication. 

Fable-lore with its cheering flashes of wit and humor has 
ever enlivened the leisure hours of man, while symbols and 
parables whose interpretations are as varied as they are 
fathomless, stimulate the observation of the thinking minds 
and often suggest truths that will produce everlasting im- 
pressions. 

He who loves nature and has a universal compassion for 
man and beast vibrates with the pulsations of the planet, 
lives in two worlds, enjoys and acts upon two spheres, for 
manifold are the layers of human consciousness and endless 
its ramifications. 

CLEMENCE DE LA BAERE. 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 




THE FROG AND THE BIRD. 

A frog was lazily squatting on the bank of a muddy pond 
when a little bird approached and after bathing in the dew 
and breakfasting on the tiny insects from a budding sweet 
briar, settled down on a twig and sang a song. The song 
was so melodious and so tenderly pathetic that it fascinated 
a frog which had been observing it from below. He was 
a licentious materialistic frog and like all of his kind, con- 
ceited. He did not realize the enormous distance between 
the graceful songster and himself, and began to wink and to 
attract the attention of the little musician by making noises 
and spattering in the mud. It was all in vain though, for 
the songster never looked down but looked steadily upward 
to the sun. 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

Impudence and conceit are close companions. The frog 
determined to croak a love song that should be louder than 
the bird's melodies. He thus declared the intensity of his 
passion, the charms of living in a muddy pool and hopping 
in turbid waters. He offered to teach the bird how to croak 
if it would come down and consent to remain below. 

The love of a frog could not tempt one predestined to 
soar through the azure skies, but true to the refinement of 
its nature, after having listened, the bird replied courteously. 

"I could not soil my feet in that mire, but if your feelings 
for me are as you say, Sir, you may come up to me and we 
will fly and sing together." 

The frog hid in the mud and stopped croaking — for a 
while. 




TRUTH AND HUMOR 

ENGLAND AND IRELAND. 

England and Ireland had slowly emerged from chaos, 
quite slowly indeed, and were yet at that barbarous state 
where human creatures ignore all brotherhood. As a result 
they were continually warring together, instead of loving 
one another — as they do today. 

Both nations were pious, in their way, the English being 
Protestant, and the Irish being Catholic, each prayed fer- 
vently before every battle, that it might have the victory, 
and destroy and annihilate the enemy and forever rejoice 
over the murders committed. 

We should not lay this up against them, for it all hap- 
pened so long ago. Besides, those wretched savages did 
not possess the blessed civilization upon which we pride 
ourselves today, and which causes us all to live in perfect 
harmony and to love one another all over the planet. 

But we must stick to our story for it is a bad one. Another 
battle was to take place and it threatened to be fiercer than 
any that had preceded. Men's heads were swelling with 
martial energy like cakes on a hot griddle. 

Both nations went upon their knees praying the Lord 
with increased ardor that they might destroy and annihilate 
their mortal enemies, cover themselves with laurels and 
glory and vowing to return thanks and sing songs of praise. 

The Lord, who always grants earnest prayers, yielded 
to the demands of both sides. 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

The English you must know were superior in number, 
but the Irish had St. Patrick as patron saint, which equal- 
ized the forces. 

When all was ready they shook their fists at each other 
and began fighting. In the twinkling of an eye not a single 
head remained upon its shoulders, but all were rolling helter 
skelter upon the battlefield, still showing their teeth in bitter 
defiance. 

Saint Patrick's kind heart was moved with pity on seeing 
all the witty heads of his beloved Paddies thus scattered 
about. 

This double victory is but a mournful defeat after all, 
thought he, and he begged the Lord that he might restore 
them all to life. 

"So you may," replied the good Lord, "but do you not 
see that they would then fight with renewed vengeance." 

"That is true," replied Saint Patrick sadly, but after a 




10 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

moment's reflection an idea struck him, and he proposed 
that they should transfer the heads of the Irish to the shoul- 
ders of the English and vice versa. 

"So you may," replied the good Lord. 

The dead arose. Each was now a part of the other. 
There was no more desire for murderous or selfish prayers, 
and for a period the golden age was realized by the two 
nations. But the relentless wheel of time has removed that 
blessed state, which is expected to return soon now on its 
new cycle. 




11 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

ENVY. 

Once upon a time a beautiful Bird of Paradise was im- 
ported from India and exhibited in a town where it re- 
ceived the greatest admiration. 

When the native animals heard of this they resented it as 
an intrusion upon their privileges and decided to call in a 
body upon the stranger so as to find out what all this ado 
was about. 

They approached the delicate foreigner informally and 
frowned at its graceful motions, sylph-like figure and dis- 
play of tropical feathers. 

The illwill which had brought them spurred them on, and 
as their jealous envy could find no fault they resorted to 
spite and sarcasm — ready weapons of the incompetent. 

"Can you mew?" said the cat. 

"Can you quack?" said the duck. 

"Can you crow?" said the rooster 

"Can you bleat?" said the goat. 

"Can you bray?" said the donkey. 

"Can you croak?" said the frog. 

"What is all that?" politely inquired the bright bird. 

"Ha! Ha! Ha! He does not know anything ! Come let us 
go; we do not want to associate with a fool." 

On their way home they accused the fine foreigner of all 
the ugly feelings which were in their own hearts. 




12 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

A TYRANNICAL KING. 
In bygone days there once was a cruel, tyrannical king, 
who, from selfish sordidness taxed his subjects so heavily 
that it marred all the joys of their lives. Their anxious 
minds had grown indifferent to the fair beauties of nature. 
In poverty and distress, ill fed, ill clothed and ill lodged, 
they had no heart, even for love. Few of them married, not 
feeling equal to providing for a family. 

This oppressive king, who for many years had had a 
childless queen, was at last presented by her with a son and 
heir to the throne. 

The happy event was celebrated by a grand jubilee in the 
royal palace, but it was of short duration, for the rumor soon 
spread that the young prince was so feeble that he was not 
expected to live. 

In his fear and desperation the king sent for all the doc- 
tors of the land. They examined the emaciated little form, 
looked dismal, but dared not speak. 

The wizard's arts were then put under contribution with 
the same result. 

The king offered his private favors, the half of his king- 
dom and treasury to the man who could heal his son, but 
all was in vain. 

At last there came a man nobody knew whence, who 
looked as old as time. He had but three hairs on his head. 
The colors of the rainbow radiated from his luminous eyes, 
and caused the king to tremble when their gaze was turned 
upon him. 

In a modulated rythmical tone, which sounded more like 
breath than speech, the sage addressed the king as follows : 



13 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

"If your majesty could procure me what is needed I could 
then heal your son." 

"I swear upon my crown that you shall have it!" an- 
swered the king. 

"Make haste and state what it is." 

But the good sage shook his head despondently, saying: 

"I greatly fear that it cannot be found within your Majes- 
ty's kingdom. It is a mattress made of the hair of healthy 
new born infants, for the sick prince to sleep upon." 

"Is that all?" exclaimed the king, "you shall have it! You 
shall have it at once." 

But the sage looked doubtful and sad. 

Immediately the king gave orders that every infant within 
his domain should be shorn, yea, shorn to the scalp that 
his son might live. 

The command was obeyed, but as his reign had been one 
of tyranny and oppression his people were unhappy, un- 
healthy and weak. If perchance a poor babe was born it 
was bald, wrinkled and aged-looking. It whined and cried 
over the miseries of this world. 

Under these adverse circumstances the king's emissaries 
could gather, but a few pinches of clippings, and when they 
made their reports the king flew into a rage of passion. 
Then looking upon the wasted form of his suffering child, 
his fatherly heart gave way to grief. He dropped at the 
feet of the sage and humiliating himself implored his advice 
in this cruel emergency. 

14 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

"Majesty," replied the sage, "do you realize that every 
parent within your kingdom is enduring the same torture 
of heart which you are now undergoing yourself? That they 
suffer besides for the necessaries of life and through fear of 
your exactions. Do you realize that your ungracious reign 
has dispirited them by depriving them even of a fair share 
of the profits which their diligent toil has acquired for your 
support?" 

"I had not thought of all that, but what can now be done 
to save the life of my child?" replied the selfish monarch. 

The sage replied: "Put together the little hair that has 
been gathered, and make of it a small pillow, were it but an 
inch large; then place it under the right ear of the prince. 
Even this little may preserve the breath of life within him 
until more hair can be found. Then send immediately succor 
and comfort to all the pregnant mothers of the land. Pro- 
cure to the fathers the means of providing for their fam- 
ilies and making their wives hopeful and happy. Acquaint 
yourself with the condition of your subjects, supply their 
needs by well ordained regulations, and be warned that it 




15 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

behooves him who rules, were it only over one man, to be 
a father to that man. Let the good will of the throne radi- 
ate throughout the kingdom, and as vibrations move in a 
circle, your own will return to you freighted with the 
blessings of your subjects. Endow the marriageable young 
maidens, and so many nuptials your majesty may smile 
upon, so many will shortly contribute to fill the prince's 
mattress and restore him to health and life." 

"If your majesty follows my advice faithfully for three 
years the mattress will then be completed and I shall add 
my own three hairs which will impart a threefold under- 
standing of many things. When the prince shall be three 
times seven years he will be your elder in wisdom. You 
will do well to resign the state affairs unto his hands then, 
and thus secure time for yourself to think about the unneces- 
sary sufferings and hardships you have inflicted upon oth- 
ers, and atone for them as you may ere you go to your 
grave." 




16 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

A GOOD FOWL. 
A luxury-loving man was examining his poultry yard to 
select the fowl with which he desired to regale himself at 
the coming holiday. 

A crowing capering red cock soon attracted his attention. 
He pointed him out to his servant and said : 

"There will be a good morsel, fatten him." 

Afterward, with an epicurean expectation he went to look 
at the fowl every day, and once he took the notion of asking 
whether he was happy in his cage. 

Trembling with fear, the feather-robed brave thought 
that if he made the shadow of a complaint it would only 
hasten the day of his execution, replied: 

"Honored master, how could I be anything but happy 
receiving as I do so many tokens of your bounty." 

This answer pleased the master, who said contentedly : 

"He is a good fowl." Then smacking his lips he ordered : 
"Kill him today !" 

It does not always protect one to try and please certain 

masters. 




17 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

ONE-OF-THEM. 

"Darwin's theory about worms being inferior creatures 
is all wrong," said One-of-them. 

"We do not break our bones into fragments like quadru- 
peds and bipeds, and if it is the devil who invented doctors 
'tis clear that he has no power over us, for we alone can 
discountenance doctor's crafts. 

"If we happen to be mutilated, every piece of us recon- 
structs and completes itself. But pray, who has ever seen 
a man walking without a head? Well, a physical head, at 
least. Therefore 'tis clear, 'tis very clear from my point 
of view that we are their superiors." 

A bird soaring in the skies above replied : 

"And as long as you occupy the point of view of One-of- 
them, dearie, thus it will appear to you, for all creatures are 
boasting over their advantages from their own point of 
view." 




18 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

A NURSE. 

Sitting by a pink-lined cradle, her eyes moist with sym- 
pathy and compassion, a nurse was looking at the new-born 
soul that had been trusted into her care. 

"How I love those frail-born little beings!" thought she. 
"They call out all the tenderness of my heart. I revere my 
profession and would resign it reluctantly even in Heaven." 
After a pause, "Nor can I see what I could do there, as 
there is no need of nurses, I suppose." 

A gentle drowsiness stole upon her, a purple curtain was 
lifted and she saw a vision of another sphere. A white- 
robed One approached her and said: 

"Here are the nurseries of new-born ideals. They are 
more delicate even than the flesh babes below. A foul 
breath will contaminate them. An ill-begotten zephyr will 
poison them, an erroneous suggestion will destroy them. In 
the future, if thou so desirest, thou mayest minister to 
these. They need loving watchfulness and devotion." 

The nurse awoke with heart and mind moved to com- 
passion and self-renunciation. She resolved to begin now to 
nurse and protect the high ideals of those around her. 




19 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

THE VEIL. 

A man died. He was called a good man upon earth, but 
earth's children do not know the meaning of their alphabet 
as you shall soon see. 

On awakening to his new consciousness this man was 
blind as a bat, yet the light streamed around him. 

His blindness confused his wits, of which he had much 
less than he had been credited with. 

He called for his servants, his friends, all the dear ones 
he had left on earth, but all was dead silence. 

Until his voice was exhausted he kept clamoring: 

"Where am I? Where am I? Where in thunder am I?" 

Generations passed, — ages passed, — and our good man 
was still crying out: 

"Where am I? Where am I? Where in thunder am I? 
Must I remain here, unattended, until eternity is at an end? 
I will not have it!" 

"Why complainest thou, friend? Thou are in Heaven," 
said a voice. 

" I am in Heaven," replied the good man confounded. 
"But I can not see." 




TRUTH AND HUMOR 

"Verily," said the voice, "thou hast put a veil before thine 
eyes." 

"I have put a veil before mine eyes," said the astonished 
man. "If that is the case, I want some one to remove it." 

"That would not be lawful," said the voice, "thou must 
first recognize its existence, then thou must will it away 
through thought force." 

"I WILL," said the good man, "with all the strenuous- 
ness of my being, I WILL that the veil be removed NOW." 

"In that case I may inform thee of what it is made so 
that thou mayest know in which direction to act. 

"Unkept resolutions, postponed good deeds, duties ful- 
filled to please others, good words spoken for mere effect, 
truths taught to others but left unpracticed, ostentation 
at the funerals of those who were neglected at their hour 
of need, donations to be effected after thy death." 

"Oh! that I could let my friends on earth know this!" 
cried out the good man. 

"They all know it, even as thou knewest it," replied the 
voice, — and again all was dead silence. 




cX 



21 




FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

NEW GENERATION. 

A hungry mouseling once found a green chestnut and 
tried long and hard to clear away the prickly burr. 

An older mouse approached, he was of the advice-giving 
temperament, and suggested: 

"Be patient, little one, and wait until it bursts open, then 
it will drop off." 

"But I am hungry now," replied the New Generation. 

To give advice is one thing, and to give assistance is 
another. 




22 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

IDLE TALK AND SILENT POWER. 

"I," said the shadow, "I can play a thousand tricks upon 
mortals; I can delude them by countless projections and 
appearances, I can cause them to enter a lifelong pursuit of 
me, despoil themselves of all their real possessions and 
frantically attempt to seize the illusory phantoms of my 
creation. In fact this world is my sporting-ground, and I 
rule it according to my whim and fancy." 

"O but I!" said the stream of water, "I travel playfully 
throughout the land bestowing my favors upon whatever 
posies my fancy chooses. Sometimes I take pleasure in 
devastation, run riot among those that displease me, or 
tear them up and root them out. Again I fertilize and irri- 
gate, but whatever I do I choose my own way whether it 
be straight or crooked, for 'tis plain I own the land." 

"Nay, nay," said the fog, "why all this prattle? when it 
is well known that I can prevent you from seeing even 
yourselves and knowing where you are. I can make the 
brightest eyes powerless. My very appearance causes con- 
sternation upon a battlefield and prevents the god Mars 
from recognizing his own. My supremacy upon land or 
ocean is unlimited and 'tis but justice that my accomplish- 
ment should take the precedence over your mediocrity. 

The Sun came out, and in silent solemnity dried out the 
stream and dissipated the shadow and the fog. 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

AN UNLUCKY NUMBER. 

Once upon a time a gdod little hen hatched out thirteen 
trim chicks, pray notice the number, among which was a 
duckling, a duck's egg having been placed in the nest. 

As a matter of course all the other chicks soon pecked 
at the duckling, just in the manner of men who peck at 
whomsoever differs from themselves. 

The unfortunate duckling inquired why it should be so 
unkindly treated since it had done no harm. 

"Thou art webfooted and wicked, besides thou art an 
unlucky number," retorted the chorus, while pecking at it 
with increased animosity. 

The suffering victim waddled to the mother-hen for 
solace and protection. 

She called her brood together, and used all the concil- 
iatory eloquence her motherly heart could suggest in de- 
fense of her prosecuted one. She explained that they were 




24 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

all equally her children. That during the brooding period 
she had often watched their shells ,which were all alike. 
"Nay," added she, "little webfoot was the largest." 

This but increased the ill feelings of the others, and as 
the poor martyr pleaded for mercy, recalling the mother's 
words, they replied: 

" 'Tis clear logic that if thou wert larger than we thou 
hast more capacity for evil, therefore away with thee, un- 
lucky number, thou must die!" and intending to drown it 
they pursued it to the river's edge and drove it into the 
water. 

Here little webfoot was astounded at his own gifts and 
swam across the river with easy grace, thanking fortune for 
his freedom. 

The smaller chicks on this side could not see across the 
river and prided themselves upon having rid the world of an 
unlucky number. 

The ill will of others is often the instrument that directs 
us to our own element for our greatest good. 




25 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

THE PROBLEM OF LIFE. 

In gone-by times a man while searching to solve the 
problem of life had fretted away the hair from his head and 
the flesh from his bones. He was thin as a shadow, gloomy 
as a thunder cloud and bald as a coot. He finally secluded 
himself in an ancient tower which had become the abode 
of crows. There he worked himself up to such a degree of 
wretchedness that it startled and disturbed the crows and 
they inquired for the cause of his worriment. "I have de- 
termined," said the man, "to find the solution of the prob- 
lem of life. To that effect I have traveled seven times 
around the world, consulted all the sages of the globe, in- 
voked all the powers of earth, of nature and of heaven, but 
all in vain!" 

The elder crow called granny was as old as time to say 
the least, and was highly venerated throughout crowdom. 

She now commenced to flutter and limp about, to search 
and seek all throughout the tower in the manner of a woman 
who has lost her thimble, while crying out. 

"Where is she? O where is she?" 

"Where is who?" queried the man. 

"Where is granny?" 

"Ah! Ha! that is too good, why you are her," said the 
man. 

"And you are the problem of life, sonny," retorted granny 
as she dropped one of her rigid feathers on the man's noddle 
to make a hole by which he might perceive the light within 
himself. 



26 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

GRIEVE NOT, BUT REJOICE. 

Socrates had spent the afternoon discoursing in the Cap- 
itol, after which he went to the cemetery for recreation. On 
his way he found an old Pagan at the feet of the goddess 
Fortune, who was bitterly complaining against his destiny. 
Socrates approached him and the following dialogue en- 
sued: 

Socrates: "Friend, what is the cause of thy grief?" 
The Pagan: "O master! I have lost all my riches." 
Socrates : "Of what did they consist then?" 
The Pagan: "Of lands, houses, and estates." 
Socrates: "Callest thou such things riches?" 
The Pagan (surprised) : "Verily, unless I call them a 
gift of the gods." 

Socrates: "How didst thou come by them?" 
The Pagan: "The gods gave them to me as a reward of 
my honest life, no doubt." 

Socrates : "Friend, thy speech is inconsistent with reason. 
If it were a reward of thy merit it could not be a gift, and 
be it said among us the gods make no gifts ; but in what way 
didst thou dispose of the riches while thou hadst them, 
pray?" 



27 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

"The Pagan : "I ministered them to the best of my ability 
and devoted all my time to them." 

Socrates: "To please the gods or to please thyself?" 
The Pagan: "What a strange question." 

Socrates : "Direct and to the point." 

The Pagan: "I fear I cannot very well answer." 

Socrates : "Thou canst but darest not ; but tell me further, 
what good didst thou do unto others with thy riches?" 

The Pagan: "I was too much absorbed by the adminis- 
tration of my own affairs to take much concern in those of 
others." 

Socrates: "Then thy riches which the gods had but en- 
trusted unto thee proved a curse to thyself and others by 
thine own fault. Now that the gods have relieved thee of 
them so as not to involve thy selfish judgment any farther, 
and have placed them in better hands, thou are the gainer, 
and will now have time to attend to thy soul's concern. 
Therefore Grieve not but Rejoice over the loss of thy 
riches." 

Material success often interferes with soul progression. 




28 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 




ENDOWMENTS SPRING FROM WITHIN. 

It once happened that a baby was born to a pair of loving 
rustics, and although such an event is not of uncommon 
occurrence, yet the fond parents were greatly rejoiced. 

After a long and loving enumeration of all its accom- 
plishments the father proudly declared: 

Many great men did not have as much to start with as 
this twelve-pounder of ours." 

The wife fully admitted the verity of the fact, and added : 

"If we only lived in the time of the fairies so that they 
might endow our precious darling with their gifts." 

Immediately a fragrant mist surrounded the cradle, from 
which emerged two handsome fairies, who said : 

"Dear friends, we come to endow your child and will fill 
its head with the best of our gifts." 

Then they produced a great variety of sweet smelling 
boxes and aromatic sachets, endeavoring to introduce the 
contents of them into the baby's head through all the avail- 
able orifices, including the sutures of the skull. But they 
could not succeed in causing them to penetrate. 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

The baby's head was already as plumb full as a spring 
turnip, and the fairies said to the father : 

"It cannot be done from without, but if you will give 
us a saw, good friend, we will lay its head open and fill it 
from within." 

A saw was immediately produced, and though the child 
kicked and squalled some instead of submitting quietly, its 
little head was laid open. On examination it was found 
that all the brain cells were already complete and nothing 
could be added. 

Upon this the father indignantly cried out: "Ladies, 
make haste to repair our babe's little pate, and be gone, ye 
givers of gifts ! You have caused us a world of trouble, and 
all for nothing." 

"Not quite," replied the fairies, "we caused your baby to 
start kicking, an essential function in this world, and we 
also proved to you that when a mortal is born he is already 
provided with what is best for him." 

Endowments are inherent, they spring from within. 




30 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 




IT IS MINE. 

A young calf staggering on its clumsy fours was making 
such awkward jumps and motions as to provoke the hilarity 
of the spectators. The mother-cow imagined they were 
stricken with admiration, since she considered her offspring 
as a gem of grace and perfection. Addressing the scoffers 
she said with a proud and happy smile: 

"It is mine." 




31 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

A POINT OF ATTRACTION. 

Nature was so urging the growth of the most vigorous 
tree of a grove that it cried out in anguish: 

"But why this haste. I am already the tallest of the 
grove, if I grow much higher I shall only be all the more 
a point of attraction for the lightning." 

"Yea," says nature, "but I need just such points of at- 
traction." 







32 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 




A MUDDY CREST. 

Because of his powerful crowing capacity a certain chanti- 
cleer imagined that he was qualified to reform featherdom. 
With drum and trumpet he declared his intentions, and the 
assumption of a dignified attitude, the resounding of a 
sonorous voice and the display of a bright coat of feathers 
soon attracted a bevy of admiring hens around the great 
luminary. 

He flapped his wings with great decorum, sung and 
crowed in an endless variety of tunes and attitudes. Then 
he leaped into a plunge of eloquence sufficient to dazzle for 
life the rudimentary-brained chickens of the audience. But 
no sooner did they look the great orator in the face than 
they perceived that his crest, his ample commanding crest, 
was muddy. 

LOFC, 

33 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

Alas ! that this should be the case, for they were no longer 
affected by the eloquence of his exhortation. Their atten- 
tion was completely absorbed by the the muddy crest, and 
at every pause of the speaker they whispered softly to one- 
another, "Too bad that his crest should be muddy." 

The speech and the individual qualifications of the speaker 
were soon forgotten, but the fact of the muddy crest of the 
speaker passed unto posterity. 

He who presumes to reform others should be unblem- 
ished. 




34 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

A JACKASS. 

A fame-loving jackass was once informed that to stand 
well in society it behooved her to go to school. "I shall 
go," said she, but no sooner had she formed the resolution 
than the powers seemed to conspire against it. 

There was a snail on the path. 

The weather was threatening. 

The north wind was blowing. 

The fragrance of the wild thyme along the road was un- 
bearable. 

The continuous strain of the singing birds was a nuisance. 

The bright-dotted butterflies fluttering in the sunshine 
injured her eyesight. 

At last, one day she had almost reached school when, in 
a barren spot was a patch of thistles wafted by the wind. 
This to our jackass represented all the music of the spheres. 
She could now well afford to say fie ! to whoever mentioned 
dainty morsels. Had she not thistles ? Not only was school 
dispensed with but the very resolution was dismissed. 

Later when in the company of those that had received 
school training Dame Jackass never failed to make her 
point by saying : 

"Yes, yes, that is so, I remember having heard it when 
I used to go to school." But all she knew was how to bray 
for she had never reached school. 




35 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 




REYNARD AGAIN. 

In a certain district where many nocturnal depredations 
had taken place, an old fox had at last been caught, and 
under such incriminating and aggravating circumstances 
that he was immediately placed upon trial before a jury. 
However, like all great criminals, an opportunity was given 
him to present his defense. 

So, bowing to the court he said: "Your Honor," then 
turning to the jury he added, "and gentlemen of the jury, 
it is true that appearances are not in my favor, but, when 
I shall have proved to you the innocence of my motives, I 
am convinced that the sense of justice which animates 
gentlemen of such high intelligence will acquit me at once 
of the charges made against me. You will thus entitle 
yourselves to the warmest effusions of my grateful heart, 
for as a legitimate son of my father I am not an evil doer 
but one who tries to correct and reform others, just the 
same as does your Honor. 

"My first responsible act was to catch a few perverse 
birds which caroled around the holy church to disturb the 
service. It also happened that I saw a small brained lamb- 

36 



TRUTH AND HUMOR 

kin gorging itself so immoderately upon the tender green 
grass that I feared there would not be enough left for the 
others, and therefore considered it a kindness to them to 
swallow the little glutton. 

"On another occasion I found a young fawn so totally 
devoid of sense as to drink from a miry muddy pond, and to 
save it from being injured therefrom I killed it before 
injury could come. 

"At another time, I observed a shy rabbit so diffident in 
courage and character that I deemed it unfit to live; for 
deteriorated beings ought never to propagate, and in my 
love of doing good I rid the world of the worthless thing. 
Again an obtrusive hare was frolicking on a road where 
some hunters were desirous of passing and I quickly 
removed it out of their way. 

"One day when I happened, accidentally, to be passing a 
chicken-yard I heard some hens using uncivil language 
with regard to myself, and to prevent the repetition of such 
a distasteful occurrence, I removed them during the night. 

"When I see goslings and ducklings trouble the water 
which others need to drink I consider it only right to see to 
it that they shall not do it again. And when I took that 
sheep yesterday it was to save it from an execrable lion 
lurking in the woods near by. 

37 



FABLES AND SYMBOLS 

"Last night I discovered a vile, crafty skunk in quest of 
prey, and knowing that a brood of tender ducklings was 
within his reach I took charge of them myself to save them 
from the villain's maw. 

"Neither can it be laid up against me if nature has so 
ordained it that the foes of my race should be edible; nor 
should I be blamed for loving meat, especially poultry — the 
same as does your Honor, and you, gentlemen of the jury, 
who, I hope are now convinced by what I have said that I 
live not to de evil, but, to prevent and punish it in others. 

"Therefore like yourselves also I deserve reward, not 
punishment." 

The jury retired to deliberate, and finally brought in the 
following verdict: 

"That inasmuch as it was true that Reynard deserves to 
be rewarded for the pains he had taken, he should therefore 
be presented by the court with a new rope with which to be 
immediately hanged to the nearest tree. Further, that his 
carcass should be distributed among the orphans of his vic- 
tims, as they would presumably like him better without his 
hide; and that his skin should be alloted to his Honor in 
payment of his fee." 




38 



SEP 26 1905 



